Good Wednesday Morning!

1. Question – How would you like it if you couldn’t say anything bad about our leaders?

2. Thought – The press, many politicians of the day, and even members of his own party were very critical of his decisions. This infuriated President Adams. He became so paranoid that is 1798 Adams signed the Alien and Sedition Acts, which made it a crime to write against or falsely speak against federal officeholders, including the president. This made Adams very unpopular. How would you like it if you couldn’t say anything bad about our leaders? Even his own vice president, Thomas Jefferson, angrily argued that these acts were unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment right to free speech. C’mon, Mr. President!

Adam’s luck didn’t change. Even though he was the first president to live in the White House, four months after moving in he lost his bid for reelection to his vice president Thomas Jefferson. Adams was so bitter after losing the election that he left the White House in the middle of the night before Jefferson’s inauguration so he wouldn’t have to see him. (The Essential Book of Presidential Trivia by Noah McCullough)

Adam’s last words were “Jefferson still survives?” (Jefferson had died a few hours earlier on July 4, 1826 the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence)